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IN THIS ISSUE:==============0. EDITORIAL: Are free security products good enough?
Part 2.

1. TOP TECH SITES1.1 Google Gmail Accounts for All1.2 Yahoo Mail Offers 1GB Storage for Free1.3 More Secure Cookie Management for Internet Explorer1.4 The Best Internet Network Information Site1.5 Top Freeware for Pocket PCs1.6 Free Driver Sites (SE Edition)1.7 Using Gmail for Storing Large Files Online (SE Edition)1.8 No Need to Hang Around While Windows Installs (SE Edition)1.9 Reduce the Noise from your PC (SE Edition)1.10 Free Reminder Service (SE Edition)2. UTILITIES2.1 Best Free Startup and Process Viewer2.2 Get This Top Program Launcher While It's Free2.3 How to Remind Yourself to Include Attachments2.4 Free Sound File Format Converter2.5 Free IBM Spam Filter Spams Spammers2.6 An Essential ZoneAlarm Accessory (SE Edition)2.7 An Easy way to Learn to Use Regular Expressions (SE Edition)2.8 How to Scan Without Using a Scanner (SE Edition)2.9 How to Restore Computers to a Standard Configuration
(SE)

Last month I discussed free security products and addressed thequestion of whether they are good enough to adequately protectyour computer.

I concluded that the best free security programs are very goodindeed but for the most part, not quite as good as the bestcommercial security programs.

However, I qualified this statement with the observation that nosecurity product, even the best, provides perfect protection.Perfect malware protection is a fantasy. It does not exist.

The most important point in last month's editorial was theobservation that users of free security products can greatlyimprove their detection rates by combining several free productsto provide layered detection.

Using the free AVG anti-virus scanner as an example, I showedthat by adding another layer in the form of the free Ewido anti-trojan scanner, users could get aggregate protection that was asgood as or better than using the class-leading NOD32 anti-virusscanner.

This was not idle speculation but was based on actual detectionrates using a test set of infected files downloaded from theKaZaa P2P network.

On this test set NOD32 managed a detection rate of around 86% ofmalware products while AVG detected around 84%. The combinationof AVG and Ewido detected around 90%.

This last month I've supplemented these results by looking atthe effect of adding another layer of protection in the form ofa spyware scanner.

I used three popular products to check my test set of infectedfiles. First, the free products SpyBot Search and Destroy V1.4b2and Microsoft's Antispyware b1, and then the commercial productAd-Aware SE Pro V1.05.

When I simply scanned the infected files, none of the threeproducts detected a single malware file; they all missed the lot.

This is not surprising. Anti-spyware products have very poorperformance when used to scan files. That's because the realstrength of these products is in detecting already installedspyware programs or programs that are trying to installthemselves.

This means that's there's not much point using an anti-spywareprogram to scan a file that you are yet to install. It'sunlikely it will find anything.

That's why many anti-spyware products have the file scanningoption hidden or buried deeply within the product.

When I executed rather than scanned the malware infected filesin my test set, the spyware scanners performed much better. Hereare the number of malware files each product detected:

MS Antispyware 32Ad-Aware 28SpyBot 25

These results are consistent with recent findings by otherresearchers and reinforce my belief that the MS product iscurrently the class leader while SpyBot's performance hasslipped markedly in recent months.Now the really interesting part: the overall effect of addingthis additional layer of protection.

With a three layer system using AVG anti-virus, Ewido anti-trojan and Microsoft Antispyware, the overall detection ratejumped to 95%.

That's pretty impressive by any standard. When you consider thatall these products are free, it's an outstanding result.

Letís briefly recap:

A one layer protective system using the $39 NOD32 anti-spywaresystem detected 84% of malware products in the test set ofinfected files.

A one layer system using the free AVG anti-virus scannerdetected 82%.

A two layer system using the free AVG anti-virus scanner and thefree Ewido anti-trojan scanner detected 90%.

A three layer system the free AVG anti-virus scanner, the freeEwido anti-trojan scanner and the free Microsoft Antispywarescanner detected 95%.

This is really encouraging news for users of free securitysoftware. One question remains unanswered, however: whatdetection rates can be achieved by using a three layer systemusing the best commercial software?

For the answer to that question, folks, you will have to waituntil next month's issue.

Support Alert relies on voluntary donations to survive. If
youfeel that you've benefited from reading this newsletter perhapsyou would like to consider donating by subscribing to thepremium "Supporters' Edition" of this newsletter.

The Premium SE Edition contains almost twice the number of greattech sites, free utilities, tips and other content as thestandard edition. It's also ad-free.

With it's class-leading combination of anti-virus, anti-spam andfirewall protection it's one of the best options for protectingyour computer. However it's a bit expensive for most users.

The five free copies I'm giving away will be allocated at randombut your chances of scoring one are actually quite good. So ifyou have been thinking of subscribing, now's the time.

Even if you don't win anything you'll still get my specialreport "Gizmo's Desert Island Utilities" which outlines thesoftware I consider most useful, including many free products.

You'll also get immediate access to the archive of all pastissues of the Premium Supporters' edition of the newsletterwhere you can catch up on the hundreds of great utilities youmissed in the standard edition.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PREMIUM SE EDITION==========================================

12 months subscription to the Supporters' Edition costs $10which can be made by check or credit card using either ClickBankor PayPal or simply send cash.

1. TOP TECH SITES=================1.1 Google Gmail Accounts for AllGoogle is currently offering Gmail accounts at random from itshome page www.google.com. To get an account, keep on pressing"refresh" until the offer comes up. Alternatively simply go tothis link:https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount

1.2 Yahoo Mail Offers 1GB Storage for FreeCoinciding with the imminent release of Google's GMail service,rival Yahoo has announced that it will upgrade its online mailstorage allowance for free accounts from 250MB to 1GB. I'vealways thought Yahoo Mail to be one of the best free mailservices and this latest change reinforces that conviction.http://mail.yahoo.com

1.3 More Secure Cookie Management for Internet ExplorerIf you configure IE to not accept any cookies, you'll find quitea few web sites won't work correctly. I was over at the JAPsecurity site the other day and noticed this downloadable IE6cookie configuration file that allows you accept cookies for asingle web session and then dispose of them when the sessionends. It's a neat solution.http://anon.inf.tu-dresden.de/ie6_privacy_en.html

1.4 The Best Internet Network Information SiteIt's been a while since I last visited the DNS Tools site and inthe interim it has added a whole batch of new online inquirytools to its already excellent collection of free services.There are too many tools to describe but if you need to knowanything about a web site, URL, email address or web routingthen this is the place to go.http://www.dnsstuff.com/

2.1 Best Free Startup and Process ViewerIn the "46 Best-ever Freeware" listing I have two entries in thebest startup manager category: Mike Lin's Startup Control Paneland Nir Sofer's StartupRun. Subscriber Nikita Kobrin wrote in tosuggest a third option called Starter. It's a fine suggestion;it combines many of the strengths of the other products andadditionally includes a first rate process viewer. As a bonus,it can be run directly from the executable without installationwhich makes it a handy item to have on your toolkit CD or flashdrive. This is a real find, thanks Nikita. Freeware, All Windowsversions, 466KB.http://codestuff.netfirms.com/products_starter.html

2.2 Get This Top Program Launcher While It's FreeA couple of issues back I mentioned H-Menu the excellent freelaunch bar come desktop organizer by Hans de Vries. I visitedthe site recently and it states that from the 22nd of Aprildevelopment will be suspended. My guess is that the product maybe going to morph into shareware so go grab the free versionwhile you can. It's a great product providing one of the verybest solutions to desktop clutter. Freeware, Win9X and later,165KBhttp://www.h-menu.com/homeEN.htm

2.4 Free Sound File Format ConverterThanks to modest subscriber "willemien" for suggesting this freeutility that will convert from wav, mp3, ogg, flac, aac, wma,au, aiff, ogg, msv, dvf, vox, atrac, gsm, dss and other formatsinto mp3 or wav. There's a paid version as well that handleseven more formats but the free version should meet the needs ofmost users. Check out the other sound utilities at the site, allof which work together to form a most impressive soundprocessing suite. Freeware, all Windows versions, 312KB.http://nch.com.au/switch/index.html

2.5 Free IBM Spam Filter Spams SpammersIBM has released FairUSE, a free server-side spam filter formail administrators that works by verifying user identity ratherthan evaluating content. Equally interesting is the fact thatfor each possible spam email detected, it sends a challengeemail to the originating computer rather than (usually faked)email origin address. The idea is simple and sweet: filter themajority of spam and at the same time grind the spammers'computers into the ground. According to the IBM website,FairUSE "tries to find a relationship between the envelopesender's domain and the IP address of the client delivering themail, using a series of cached DNS look-ups. For the vastmajority of legitimate mail, from AOL to mailing lists to vanitydomains, this is a snap. If such a relationship cannot be found,FairUSE attempts to find one by sending a user-customizablechallenge/response. This alone catches 80% of UCE and veryrarely challenges legitimate mail. A future version willincorporate Sender Policy Framework (SPF) or similar senderidentification systems." (404KB)http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/fairuce

** Additional Items in the Premium SE Edition **

2.6 An Essential ZoneAlarm Accessory2.7 An Easy way to Learn to Use Regular Expressions2.8 How to Scan Without Using a Scanner2.9 How to Restore Computers to a Standard Configuration

Got some top utilities to suggest? Send them tomailto:editor@techsupportalert.com

If you have the automated Windows Updates feature turned on thenit's likely that these patches will already have been installedon your PC. If not, or you are unsure whether your PC isupdated, visit the Windows Update athttp://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

3.2 New Microsoft Jet VulnerabilitySecurity firm HexView has released details of yet another flawin Microsoft's trouble-prone Jet Database Engine. The flaw couldallow a system to be compromised simply by opening a speciallycrafted .mdb file. No patch or workaround is currentlyavailable. Exploitation code is already circulating on theinternet so all users are advised to avoid opening any .mbd filewhose integrity can not be verified.http://www.hexview.com/docs/20050331-1.txt

3.3 Serious Flaw in OpenOfficeA flaw has been reported in OpenOffice by AD-LAB which couldallow a system to be compromised simply by opening a suitablycrafted .doc file. A patch is currently available and a fullupdated version of OpenOffice that corrects the flaw is expectedshortly.http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=46388

3.4 Maxthon Browser VulnerabilitySecurity firm Secunia is carrying details of a serious flaw inthe Maxthon Browser. According to Secunia, "the vulnerability iscaused due to a design error where the security ID of a plug-inis not properly protected from being included and accessed on anexternal website via the script tag. This can e.g. be exploitedto read and write arbitrary files via the "readFile()" and"writeFile()" API functions via directory traversal attacks.The vulnerability has been reported in version 1.2.0 and 1.2.1.Prior versions may also be affected." All users should update tothe version 1.2.2.http://secunia.com/advisories/14918/http://www.maxthon.com/download.htm

3.6 New Rootkit Detector from MicrosoftLast month I mentioned Blacklight [1], the new rootkit detectionutility being distributed for free by security company F-Secure.The release of that product sparked a war between the hackercommunity and F-Secure with sustained denial of service attackson the F-Secure site. Now Microsoft [2] has entered the fray
byincluding rootkit trojan detection capabilities in theirMalicious Software Removal Tool. The MS move highlights the highlevel of danger presented by rootkit trojans.[1] http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight[2]
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

The Best SpyWare DetectorIf you use Ad-aware or SpyBot you will be surprised just howmore effectively SpySweeper detects and protects your PC fromAdware, Spyware, Trojans and other malicious products. That'swhy it won the prized "Editor's Choice" award in PC Magazine'smassive March 2004 survey of anti-Spyware products. Try the freeevaluation copy and see for yourself.http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/index.php?rc=1132

The Best Remote Access SoftwareOur reviewer had given this product category away as "too slow,tool clumsy and too unreliable" but after reviewing this producthe's changed his mind; "at long last a remote access solutionthat actually works! Quite frankly we agree with him, it's
animpressive product. Read the full review here:http://www.pcsupportadvisor.com/best_remote_access_software.htm

The Best Anti-trojan ScannerMost users are not aware that their anti-virus scanner can onlyprovide a moderate level of protection against trojan programsthat try and take control of your PC. To really protect yourcomputer, you need a dedicated anti-trojan program. Our editor'shave reviewed every major product on the market and haveconcluded that two scanners stand head and shoulders above theother contenders.http://www.anti-trojan-software-reviews.com

------------- end of sponsored links --------------------------

4. OTHER USEFUL STUFF=====================

4.1 The Fastest Flash DriveAs the capacity of thumb drives has increased so too has thetime taken to transfer information. Drives differ enormously inspeed from a few hundred kilobits per second to more than 10Mbps. The Pocket Rocket from Memina at 18MBPS is among thefastest, though this speed comes at some cost penalty comparedto slower drives. Capacities range from 512MB to 4GB withcorresponding prices of $79 to $469http://pocketrocket.memina.com/

4.2 FireFox Extension Stores Web PagesThis free extension will save to your hard drive all the webpages you visit using FireFox. This allows you to use yourdesktop search program to search the pages and access themoffline. I've been using this for a while now and it's provedvery useful for storing a whole lot of material for lateroffline research.http://www.kenschutte.com/firefoxext/

4.3 How to Display Full Email HeadersMost email clients will display no email headers or only partialheaders. Sometimes it's useful to see the full headers - forexample, when you want to trace the path taken by an email inreaching you. Another example is when you want to discover thesubscription email address you used for mass mailed publicationslike Support Alert. Almost all email clients have an option
toallow you see the full headers but it's often buried. At thissite [1] they show how to locate this information in differentemail programs. The list of clients is extensive but a bit outof date. The University of Alberta site [2] is more current butfeatures fewer clients. It also has a very clear explanation ofhow to interpret the header information. It's definitely worthspending a few minutes learning how this stuff actually works asyou'll find it surprisingly useful.[1] http://128.175.24.251/headers.htm[2] http://www.ualberta.ca/CNS/Security/headers-tutorial.html

4.4 Ten Things That Don't Make SenseA fascinating compilation from the highly reputable NewScientist magazine of phenomena still awaiting explanation. Itcovers items as diverse as Homeopathy and Tetraneutrons.http://www.newscientist.com/channel/space/mg18524911.600** Additional Items in the Premium SE Edition **

FireFox users need to regularly back up to guard against thepossibility that their profile gets corrupted or wiped afterinstalling a new extension or a new version of FireFox.

If you use Thunderbird then it's even more important that youbackup to ensure you don't accidentally lose your emailcorrespondence and account settings.

There are two ways to backup: use a backup utility or do ityourself manually.

Backup Utilities

MozBackup is a free utility written by Pavel Cvrcek that willautomatically backup Firefox and Thunderbird as well as Netscapeand the full Mozilla suite. It works like a charm - the wholeprocess is driven by a Wizard so easy to use that even rawbeginners will be able to set up automatic backups. It alsooffers encryption of the backup files and a complete push-buttonrestore option.

There are a couple of issues with MozBackup. First, it is nolonger being supported by the developer. Second, it only backsup the essential information rather than all the information inyour Mozilla profile. That said, it's still the best option formost users. You can get MozBackup here:

There are also a couple of commercial utilities that will backupFireFox and Thunderbird. I've not used them but you can finddetails at http://www.rinjanisoft.com/

Manual Backup

Backing up FireFox and Thunderbird manually is as simple ascopying their respective profile folders to another location. Ifyou do that, youíll have a full backup with all your setting andpersonal data saved.

The hard part is finding the profile folders. First up, they arenot located where you would expect to find them. Secondly, theyare located in different places for different versions ofWindows. Thirdly, they may be assigned random file names thatmake them difficult to recognize.

On Windows 2000/XP machines the locations for your FireFox andThunderbird profiles are respectively:

To back these up I copy the profiles to an external USB drive.It's as simple as that. I do it manually but you could also useWindows Scheduler or a backup manager to do the jobautomatically. Make sure, though, that FireFox and Thunderbirdare not running before you backup.

6. FREEBIE OF THE MONTH=======================

6.1 Remove Web Ads, Popups, Cookies and Enhance Your PrivacyMy favorite tool for filtering web content has long been "TheProxomitron" but I'm well aware that it's way too complex formost users to set up. A lot simpler is the free Open Sourceutility Privoxy. It's basically an enhanced version of the wellknown JunkBuster utility and filters content in the same way asJunkBuster by setting up a proxy server that sits between yourbrowser and the web. In addition to filtering ads, it can alsoenhance your privacy and security by blocking cookies andmasking referrer and other browser information. Once installedall that's involved is configuring your browser's proxysettings, a 30 second job. Most users can simply use the defaultsettings and they'll be rewarded with some excellent andintelligent filtering. Advanced users will find a lot to playwith. FireFox users won't find much at all as FireFox alreadyhas excellent filtering via the free AdBlock extension.Freeware, all Windows versions, 1.27MB.http://www.privoxy.org/http://computercops.biz/files/ProxN45.exe <= The Proxomitronhttp://accs-net.com/smallfish/prox.htm <= Proxomitron
help** Bonus Freebie for Premium SE Edition Subscribers **

6.2 A Better Un-installer for WindowsThe Windows Add/Remove Programs applet in the control panelconstantly annoys me with its limitations. I've been lookingaround for some time for a replacement that provides moreinformation about installed programs and more functionality.Well I've hit the jackpot. This outstanding free utilityworks just like the Windows Add or Remove Programs applet but isa much more capable product than the Windows version. It givesyou much more information about each installed program includingproduct name, company, version, uninstall string, installationfolder and full Registry information. It also allows you todelete orphaned and obsolete entries from the list as well asthe ability to save a list of all installed applications into atext file or HTML. As no installation is required, it can
berun from a CD or USB drive which makes it an excellent additionto your diagnostic toolkit. Once you've used this program,you'll never use the Windows un-installer again.

... full details in the Premium SE Edition of this newsletter.

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This month I'm giving away 5 free copies of the the top ratedNorton Internet Security 2005. For details, read below.

Support Alert relies on voluntary donations to survive. If
youfeel that you've benefited from reading this newsletter perhapsyou would like to consider donating by subscribing to thepremium "Supporters' Edition" of this newsletter.

The Premium SE Edition contains almost twice the number of greattech sites, free utilities, tips and other content as thestandard edition. It's also ad-free.

With it's class-leading combination of anti-virus, anti-spam andfirewall protection it's one of the best options for protectingyour computer. However it's a bit expensive for most users.

The five free copies I'm giving away will be allocated at randombut your chances of scoring one are actually quite good. So ifyou have been thinking of subscribing, now's the time.

Even if you don't win you'll still get my special report "Gizmo'sDesert Island Utilities" which outlines the software I considermost useful, including many free products.

You'll also get immediate access to the archive of all pastissues of the Premium Supporters' edition of the newsletterwhere you can catch up on the hundreds of great utilities youmissed in the standard edition.

12 months subscription to the Supporters' Edition costs $10which can be made by check or credit card using either ClickBankor PayPal or simply send cash.